Uncle Bernac eBook

But sorrow clears from the mind of youth like the
tarnish of breath upon glass, and who could carry
a heavy heart upon so lightfooted a horse and through
so sweet an air? The white glimmering road wound
over the downs with the sea far upon the left, and
between lay that great salt-marsh which had been the
scene of our adventures. I could even see, as
I fancied, a dull black spot in the distance to mark
the position of that terrible cottage. Far away
the little clusters of houses showed the positions
of Etaples, Ambleterre, and the other fishing villages,
whilst I could see that the point which had seemed
last night to glow like a half-forged red-hot sword-blade
was now white as a snow-field with the camp of a great
army. Far, far away, a little dim cloud upon
the water stood for the land where I had spent my
days—­the pleasant, homely land which will
always rank next to my own in my affections.

And now I turned my attention from the downs and the
sea to the hussars who rode beside me, forming, as
I could perceive, a guard rather than an escort.
Save for the patrol last night, they were the first
of the famous soldiers of Napoleon whom I had ever
seen, and it was with admiration and curiosity that
I looked upon men who had won a world-wide reputation
for their discipline and their gallantry. Their
appearance was by no means gorgeous, and their dress
and equipment was much more modest than that of the
East Kent Yeomanry, which rode every Saturday through
Ashford; but the stained tunics, the worn leathers,
and the rough hardy horses gave them a very workmanlike
appearance. They were small, light, brown-faced
fellows, heavily whiskered and moustached, many of
them wearing ear-rings in their ears. It surprised
me that even the youngest and most boyish-looking
of them should be so bristling with hair, until, upon
a second look, I perceived that his whiskers were
formed of lumps of black wax stuck on to the sides
of his face. The tall young lieutenant noticed
the astonishment with which I gazed at his boyish
trooper.

‘Yes, yes,’ said he, ’they are artificial,
sure enough; but what can you expect from a lad of
seventeen? On the other hand, we cannot spoil
the appearance of the regiment upon parade by having
a girl’s cheeks in the ranks.’

‘It melts terribly in this warm weather, lieutenant,’
said the hussar, joining in the conversation with
the freedom which was one of the characteristics of
Napoleon’s troops.

‘Well, well, Caspar, in a year or two you will
dispense with them.’

’Who knows? Perhaps he will have dispensed
with his head also by that time,’ said a corporal
in front, and they all laughed together in a manner
which in England would have meant a court-martial.
This seemed to me to be one of the survivals of the
Revolution, that officer and private were left, upon
a very familiar footing, which was increased, no doubt,
by the freedom with which the Emperor would chat with